Low carbon fuel standards mandate that transportation fuels be decarbonized via increased consumption of alternative fuels that emit much less CO2 than petroleum fuels.

Low carbon fuel standards are technology neutral and allow a variety of different alternative fuels (biofuels, electricity, gaseous fuels, etc.) to participate so long as they have small carbon footprints.

Existing low carbon fuel standards implemented by the federal government and other state governments incentivize production through subsidies, the cost of which is paid for by producers and conventional petroleum fuels.

The importance of a low carbon fuel standardNew York’s Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act requires the thorough decarbonization of the state’s transportation sector.

Transportation is a major source of CO2 emissions in New York, the U.S., and the world.

Fossil transportation fuels are also important sources of other harmful emissions such as particulate matter, carbon monoxide, unburned hydrocarbons, and nitrous oxides.

Consumption of low carbon alternative fuels greatly reduces emissions of both CO2 and other pollutants compared to petroleum fuels.

Important sources of transportation emissions such as diesel fuel, jet fuel, and marine bunker fuel are very difficult to decarbonize using batteries, making it necessary to utilize a broad assortment of low carbon fuels.

Many low carbon fuels can be utilized with the existing transportation fuel infrastructure, whereas others require require specialized distribution equipment and vehicles.

The Importance of Decarbonizing New York’s Transportation Sector

KEY POINTS1. Transportation vehicles are responsible for 46% of NYS’s energy-related CO2 emissions,1 and 36% of the state’s transportation sector emissions come from “hard to electrify” sources such as diesel, jet, and ship engines.2

2. Multiple states are currently decarbonizing their transportation sector emissions through policies that encourage the consumption of low carbon alternative fuels.

3. New York currently utilizes comparatively small amounts of low carbon fuels, and there is immense growth potential for their production and use in the state.

4. To achieve the Climate Leadership and Community Protection Act’s targets, New York must rapidly and thoroughly decarbonize its transportation sector.

5. SUNY ESF possesses a broad range of expertise and analytical capabilities on the low carbon fuel supply chain that New York can utilize as it transitions to a fully-decarbonized transportation sector.

WHAT IS A LOW CARBON FUEL STANDARD?

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California’s Low Carbon Fuel Standard has successfully incentivized the creation of a large domestic market for low carbon fuels that emit 65-80% less CO2 per unit of energy than petroleum fuels.3

Minnesota mandates that all diesel fuel sold in the state be blended with up to 20% low carbon fuel.4

At least nine states have explicitly mandated the partial replacement of hard-to-electrify petroleum fuels with low carbon fuels.4

The U.S. government also requires the consumption of low carbon fuels via the national Renewable Fuel Standard.

The decarbonized futureTo meet its climate protection requirements, New York State should study how other states have begun to decarbonize their transportation sectors using Low Carbon Fuel Standards. New York will only achieve long-term CO2 emission reductions by reducing the carbon footprints of all of the different transportation systems in the state.

At SUNY ESF, we possess a strong expertise on low carbon fuels and the decarbonization of hard-to-electrify transportation systems. We already:

Provide expert advice to state, national, and international stakeholders on transportation sector decarbonization policy;

Quantify the environmental and financial costs and benefits of different technologies that can contribute to transportation decarbonization; and

Analyze the conditions that are necessary for low carbon fuel standards to successfully reduce CO2 emissions from the transportation sector.

LOW CARBON FUEL STANDARDS PLAY IMPORTANT ROLES IN OTHER STATES’ ECONOMIES

For more information about how SUNY ESF can empower NYS’s Bioeconomy, contact:

Dr. Tristan Brown, Associate Professor of Energy Resource Economics trbro100@esf.edu 315-565-3003

Dr. Robert Malmsheimer, Professor of Forest Policy and Law rwmalmsh@esf.edu (315) 470-6909

Dr. Timothy Volk, Senior, Research Associate tavolk@esf.edu (315) 470-6774

References:1. NYISO (2019) “Power Trends 2019: Reliability and a Greener Grid.” The New York ISO Annual Grid & Markets Report. https://www.nyiso.com/documents/20142/2223020/2019-Power-Trends-Report.pdf/0e8d65ee-820c-a718-452c-6c59b2d4818b?t=1556800999122 (accessed January 17, 2019).2. NYSERDA (2019) “New York State Greenhouse Gas Inventory: 1990-2016.” Final Report. https://www.nyserda.ny.gov/-/media/Files/EDPPP/Energy-Prices/Energy-Statistics/greenhouse-gas-inventory.pdf (accessed January 17, 2019).3. CARB (2019) “LCFS Pathway Certified Carbon Intensities.” Low Carbon Fuel Standard. https://ww3.arb.ca.gov/fuels/lcfs/fuelpathways/pathwaytable.htm (accessed January 17, 2020).4. U.S. Department of Energy (2019) “Alternative Fuels Data Center.” https://afdc.energy.gov/ (accessed January 17, 2020).

ABOUT THE CLIMATE & APPLIED FOREST RESEARCH INSTITUTE

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CAFRI is a multi-disciplinary team of forest, energy and climate experts based at SUNY ESF who provide policymakers and the public with science-based and practical solutions to address climate change.